What should we get for our regions loaner program?

For those that wanted the PAR meter please keep in mind Craig has one at AC&C he loans out already so buying one would kind of be a waste of money.

 

I like the idea of a par meter, I understand that craig has one that he loans, but perhaps it wouldnt hurt to have a second, since they are in demand. Also if not the par meter, I think a fish trap/hosp tank combo is a better idea over the other. (See Below)
The majano wand may be nice, but if i have issues, i just take care of it with my own handmade tools not sure about other people. If we do get one we'd still have to worry about buying the "kill solution" unless there is a homemade solution that whoever borrowed it would be responsible for using on their own.
The hospital tank is a nice idea, but im not sure about providing the medication part of it. Would the meds be provided? If so that would be an ongoing expense for the club or someones personal pocket to use on other ppls fish. Also, what if the fish/ invert died? We could have somebody get upset and try to blame the club, the setup or the medication provided as to why the livestock didnt make it.
 
If we do the hospital tank which wouldnt be a bad idea, perhaps just provide the tank, a filter, and a heater, and expect the borrower to get their own medication and or decoration/ shelter for their creatures. The lender could recommend medications, but the borrower still makes the ultimate decision on what to use, meaning that they really cant come back and say, "well you made us use this med, so its your fault" kinda thing. I know if it was me, it would depend on the illness my fish has, and i would decide on the med accordingly, and probably wouldnt use the med provided. 
On the other hand, ppl might have problems getting their medication in time if we dont provide it, or if the borrower has to find the meds themselves. Perhaps we can work something out with ACC or other pet stores to carry a variety of anti parasitic, fungal, viral, and baterial remedies. 
I might suggest that instead of providing the medication that we can get 1 fish trap to add to the setup(s). Many ppl have fish get ill in their tanks, but cannot treat them cuz they cant catch them. This would be extremely helpful to get fish out of tank so you dont have to tear it apart.  I say 1 fish trap b/c the borrower wont need it after the fish is caught and put in the system, however, if we have enough funding, maybe we could purchase 2 tank setups; that way, if there is more than one fish sick at a time we have the additional resources. I know that two smaller setups should not be too expensive, but i also know there is a budget we have to go by.  Maybe later on if this is successful, we can see if club members can donate some of these items.
Tis could be a good idea, not alot of ppl have this extra equipment sitting around their house, and have a hard time finding supplies and setting up one in enough time to save thier fish. 
 
AKA my suggestion
-20-30 gal hosp tank w standard lighting (if enough funding avail maybe we could have two hosp tank setups and share the trap between them)
-large overhanging filter (filters provided by borrower?)
-heater
-Borrower would provide their own medication of choice, and any contents for decor or shelter for the treated animals)
fish trap (lots of times a fish will get sick in someones system, but they cant catch it to treat it, so i think this perhaps would be a good addition to the hosp tank system instead of medication)

 

just my 2 or rather 5 cents worth ideas

 

I voted for the hospital tank myself. I am sort of thinking if we did it right we should be able to get a fish trap and hospital tank.

Tina: I really don't see the need for a PAR meter at all. The one at the shop just sits there and gets used once every couple months at best. The demand isn't really there. Good recommendation on hospital tank though.

Anyone else have an opinion they would like to share?

 

How about none of the above as I all ready have a fish trap and hospital setup. Craig has the par meter. I will throw a wrinkle into the choices and say get an ai sol blue led and then people who are on the fence about leds can try or if people that have to send one in for a fix can borrow it. More useful to me than the other choices. Otherwise the mojano wand but I usually take care of aiptasia with boiling hot water and a syringe.

 

I'm not in your region, so take what I say as you will, but Jeremy, weren't you saying how everyone should have a decent phosphate meter, one of the nicer ones (not the liquid test kits)? I know I would love to have one for our region and I could see it getting some regular use.

 

I know I'm not in the area any more and can't use any of this, but I think a shared QT is a bad idea. The thought behind it is good, but the logistics would be a nightmare. Along with all the other problems already pointed out, having a shared QT tank is teaching people they don't need to setup their own QT, which is definitely not something that should be encouraged. The responsible people who already have a QT won't be able to use this. How long is a person allowed "possession" of the tank, what if more than one or two people need it at a time, ongoing expenses, etc...

Why not have Craig bundle a QT package at the store to sell for a discounted price to GIRS members? I think this would teach responsible reef keeping!

My recommendation since you guys have a PAR meter available and can bring your water in to ACC to get a phosphate reading, would be a nice set of reef books(and a nice fish trap or two). There's some great books out there for not too much money. A lot of people want to buy a few books, but don't know which books to buy. You could set it up where people are allowed to "rent" the book, if there's someone who wants it, set the time limit at a week. If no one's waiting for it, they can hold on to it until they've finished it. I would love to be able to rent a reef book to read for a week to see if I'd like to buy it to have myself. People can add to the collection by donating in books or simply lending them to the collection until they want them back. It wouldn't take long to have an awesome collection of great books!

Just a recommendation, I'm sure you guys will find something that's needed by everyone and can easily be borrowed/distributed.

 

The majano wands use electricity, so if you have a reef tank you should have plenty of the "kill solution"!
Just giving you a hard time Tina!

 

That is really a great idea Adam.

 

I was hanging out with my kids tonight teaching them about corals and my oldest daughter Alison (who is almost 4) suggested we use a magnifying glass so we could see the polyps on the coral better. That go me thinkin'.

How about a Portal for the loaner program? It's kind of something that is portable, durable, and is something we could use to enjoy our tanks rather than a tool or something we only need in an emergency situation.

I am not totally sold on any of the other options...the portal just sounds fun.

For the record, Craig is OK with GIRS members borrowing the PAR meter from the shop.

 

no comment

 

All ready have a portal

 

No one is ever goin to agree in anything so just give people a free membership